Tavares raises the bar at New Bedford

Tuesday

Mar 26, 2013 at 12:01 AMMar 26, 2013 at 10:58 AM

Tavares finished his career with 180 wins, more than any other Whaler in history, and two state championships.

TIM WEISBERG

The memory was burned into Paolo Tavares' brain for the better part of a year, the final moments of his junior season wrestling for New Bedford. It was the Div. 1 state championship meet, and Tavares was looking for his second straight D1 title, wrestling at 138 pounds.

"I looked at the scoreboard with 20 seconds left in the match. I made a stupid mistake, and I was tossed on my back and I lost the match," said Tavares, who was wrestling through a foot injury suffered in the sectionals that year. "It was one of the most devastating things in my life."

Tavares kept thinking about that moment in the months that followed, using it as motivation to train for his senior season. But it also was a hindrance as well.

"He put a lot of pressure on himself," Whalers coach Brandon Silva said. "I just wanted him to do well, to go out strong, and hopefully win another state title. But more importantly, I wanted him to enjoy his senior year. He had put in so much work, I wanted him to have a chance to have fun, to not feel so much pressure. I think he did that, but still went out and gave it his all and went after everybody."

Tavares took a new approach in the ring, both mentally and strategically, and put together an incredible season that culminated in his second state championship and The Standard-Times 2012 Wrestler of the Year honors.

"My goal was to just win that state title, and then go for everything else and see what happens," Tavares said. "I wanted to win All-States, I wanted to win New Englands. But I don't think I wrestled my best at New Englands, and again, one mistake cost me the match. But this time I didn't feel like the world was on my shoulders."

A big part of Tavares' change in attitude came about a month and a half before the start of the wrestling season, when his beloved grandfather Thomas Tavares passed away.

"He was a good guy. We were very close," Tavares said. "He always told me I shouldn't get too upset about things. He always told me that no matter what happens, life is going to be the same. So I took his advice to heart and realized that win or lose, I still had family that loved me, great friends, great teammates, a great school and a great community."

Tavares said that his grandfather's death caused him to have a bad cross country season, in his opinion.

"I kind of had a mental breakdown," he said. "But before the wrestling season, I took a pair of laces out of an old pair of running shoes he had given me, and I put them in my wrestling shoes. So whenever I got upset or nervous, I'd look down at my shoes and remember that I was wrestling in his memory."

Before the season started, Tavares also made a conscious effort to change up his strategy on the mat.

"Last year, I was really aggressive during the season and I think I showed my cards too early," he said. "During the postseason, I could hear the opposing coaches yelling to their kids what I was about to do. They had me down to a tee."

Tavares worked in the off-season on developing all new moves, and holding back on them until the postseason.

"This year, I just tried to pin a kid as quick as possible, to get out of there without showing my stuff," he said. "I held on to those extra moves and it paid off. I changed my style completely in the postseason and it worked."

But that doesn't mean Tavares coasted through the season, even as he was hardly challenged sometimes en route to a 53-2 season.

"There was a point in the season where he just started leaving it all on the mat," Silva said. "I was concerned because he gets so into it that sometimes he over-trains and pushes himself too hard and he'll start to break down. But he really kept his control this year, and was so focused and determined."

Tavares finished his career with 180 wins, more than any other Whaler in history. Silva thinks it's a record that's going to stand for a long time.

"That's going to be tough to beat," he said. "In his sophomore year, when he won the state title, it crossed our minds. He hit 100 wins early in his junior year, and we started to think he might have a shot at the most ever. Thankfully, he stayed healthy. To reach that mark, you have to have a lot of skill, but you have to have even more luck."

Skill and luck may have played a big part, but it's his attitude and passion that led most to Tavares' success this season.

"Wrestling is an honor and a gift, and I'm blessed that I can step out on to that mat," Tavares said. "I have a lot of pride and respect and honor for my opponents, because that guy, win or lose, gave the same effort as you. He worked just as hard as you. Even when I won the state title, the kid I beat was a really nice kid. I felt good for myself, but I felt devastated for him, because he really is a class act."

Everyone would say the same about Paolo Tavares.

"He puts on his anklet, and then hands the other anklet to his opponent and shakes his hand before his match. Win or lose, he always goes over to the other kid after the match and talks to him, whether to offer congratulations or support," Silva said. "A lot of coaches ask me if that's who he really is, or if it's just some mind game. But that's Paolo. He'll make a great coach someday, because he always knows what to say to people and when to say it."

WHY HE WAS SELECTED: Simply put, Paolo Tavares is the best wrestler in New Bedford history, a two-time state champion and the all-time leader in wins at the school.

KEY STATS: Sectional and Div. 1 state champion at 138 pounds; finished fourth at All-States and third at the New England meet; finished the season at 53-2, tying Kenny Francis for most wins in a season at New Bedford; owns all-time win record for the Whalers at 180-25 for his career; won the King Philip, Marlboro and Marshfield tournaments

MVP MOMENT: Coach Brandon Silva said it was tough to pick just one, but the crowning moment for Tavares' career might have come at New Englands. "He was wrestling the New Hampshire state champ, who everyone was pretty high on. Despite being undersized, Paolo just picked the kid apart. He was on another level, just on a mission at that point. You could see after the first period that the kid was starting to break, doubting his moves, wrestling defensively instead of aggressively. That just showed what Paolo can do to an opponent that few high school wrestlers can do."

HIS COACH SAYS: "Anything he does, he's so competitive and such a hard worker. I wish everyone worked as hard as him. Whether it's wrestling or track or whatever, Paolo has to give it his all every day until he's the best at what he does."

NOTES: Currently undecided on where to attend college, but knows he wants to be pre-med. His goal is to become a pediatrician. "My pediatrician (Dr. Victor Cillis) was a wrestler in high school. When he filled out my physical in seventh grade so I could wrestle, he said he was 'alright' as a wrestler. I found out later he's a two-time New York state champ. But he inspired me to help people." "» Tavares could run track or wrestle in college, and his choice will likely depend on scholarship money offered and "how I can best succeed in life," he said. "» He is also very involved with his church, St. Francis of Assisi, teaching CCD. "I like spreading the word of God." "» Tavares also runs in local road races and donates the prize money to his church. He finished second overall in the Fairhaven Father's Day Road Race last year and hopes to run the New Bedford Half-Marathon in the future "» He also takes part in an informal Frisbee league at Buttonwood Park.

Cody Costa, New Bedford, Freshman

Went 27-18 wrestling at 106 pounds, earning second-most wins as a freshman behind Paolo Tavares' 32 "» Also placed third at sectionals, and tied Tavares for most postseason victories by a Whaler freshman "» "His brother Jonathan wrestled for us, so we knew Cody would be good coming up," coach Brandon Silva said. "It's great to get a freshman who can step right in and win matches. He's a little undersized, weighing 101 and wrestling at 106, but he's a tough kid and a skilled wrestler and he'll make a big jump next year when he grows a bit."

Guillermo Novoa, New Bedford, Junior

Only in his second year wrestling (and going 4-18 as a sophomore), Novoa was sectional champ this year at 132 pounds "» Started the season off at 10-10, but then caught fire and won 17 of his last 19 "» "He's a hard worker. He's passionate about the sport and you can just tell that he wants to be great," Silva said. "He was hard on himself last year so to see him get his name on a banner this season, I know he's going to be great for us next year."

Derek Shorey, New Bedford, Senior

Shorey didn't win a single match as a freshman, but turned things around to finish his career at 90-43, including going 35-6 as a senior "» Won the sectional championship at 126 pounds, and placed eighth at Div. 1 states "» Also won the King Philip tournament, and placed second in Marlboro tournament "» "King Philip was his first-ever title, and you could see all season long he was wrestling with such confidence," Silva said. "He was always a weight class higher than Paolo, but this year he got serious and dropped to a class below and it all came together for him."

TaShawn Williams, New Bedford, Junior

"Tank" wrestled as a freshman but didn't come out for his sophomore year "» Returning to the team this season, he was second on the team in wins at 29-15 "» He couldn't compete in the postseason due to a technicality in his doctor's note that should have cleared him to compete despite a skin infection "» "He came back so much stronger and tougher, and to have him win almost 30 matches for us was great," Silva said. "He was the fourth seed going in to sectionals and he lost in overtime to the guys that were ranked ahead of him, so he could have done real well if he'd been allowed to compete."